Gum Lin Bamboo Sock: 80% Bamboo, 20% Superwash Merino Wool. This is a very shiny, soft fingering yarn that is great for socks and makes amazing glistening shawls and lacy scarves. I dye it most in solids, and sometimes varigated. 473 yards each.

Gum Lin is a heroine of Chinese folklore. She was "a poor peasant girl whose task it was to weave mats of bamboo and sell them in the market." She saves her village from starvation by opening the floodgates from a lake in the mountains nearby.I knew because of the large amount of bamboo fibre in this yarn base that an Asian, and likely a Chinese goddess/heroine was going to be the best choice. It took some time to find one where bamboo was mentioned.

Heithrun Cashmerino Sock: 80% Superwash Merino Wool, 10% Cashmere, 10% Nylon. This is a very soft, fluffy 3-ply fingering yarn, wonderful for socks, scarves, mitts, fingering-weight tops or shawls. 375 yards approx.

Heithrun Cashmerino Sport: 80% Superwash Merino Wool, 10% Cashmere, 10% Nylon. This is a very soft, fluffy 3-ply sport yarn, wonderful for socks, scarves, mitts, sport-weight tops or shawls. 246 yards approx.

Heithrun Cashmerino DK: 80% Superwash Merino Wool, 10% Cashmere, 10% Nylon. This is a very soft, tightly-spun 4-ply DK yarn, wonderful for socks, scarves, mitts, DK-weight tops or shawls. 170-200 yards per 4-5oz skein.

Heithrun is a goat in Norse mythology who feeds from the Yggdrasil tree and produces mead drunk by Einherjar (dead warriors in Valhalla).

Hsi Ling Shih Silk: Any 100% Silk yarn base will be posted here.

Hsi Ling Shih is (the) "ancient and legendary Chinese empress (who) was said to have invented silk and the culture of silkworms and to have taught it to her people." How could I not make use of a woman (heroine?) who invented silk?!

Pales SW Merino Sock: 100% Superwash Fingering Wool. A tight twist, custom-spun superwash merino sock/fingering yarn with 400yards/366metres approx.

Pales SW Merino Sport: 100% Superwash Merino Wool. A bouncy, tightly twisted superwash sport-weight yarn. 246 yards/225 metres.

Pales SW Merino DK: 100% Superwash Merino Wool. A tightly-twisted superwash merino yarn, dk/light-worsted-weight. 200 yards/186 metres.

Pales SW Merino Worsted Singles: 100% Superwash Merino Wool. A super-soft, single-ply superwash merino yarn, worsted-weight. 225 yards/186 metres.

Pales (pronounced PAW-lays) is the Roman goddess of cattle, sheep and shepherds. "There is some evidence, indeed, that she was not only one goddess but two: the goddesses of both small and of large cattle. At her festival, the Parilia on April 21st, the stock-keeping farmers purified their animals by driving them between blazes of fragrant woods; then they offered a long prayer to Pales begging forgiveness for any unintended slight against nature committed in the previous year."Though cattle are mentioned more for this goddess, I did read that she was also a goddess of shepards and their flocks. Since this yarn is all about the sheep, she appears to be a good choice.

Silkie Merino/Silk Sock: This is a sock/fingering yarn that is any blend of silk and wool. Some are superwash and some are not. Yardage will vary. Silk/Wool blends are great for shawls and lacy items with a soft sheen from the silk.

Silkie "took her name from the silk clothing she wore..." She was a "Scottish house goddess who sneaked into homes to clean whatever was left in disorder".

Thalassa SeaSilk Lace: 60% SeaCell, 40% Silk. This is a shiny laceweight yarn, perfect for shawls and other lacy items. 700 yards.

Thalassa is a Greek Ocean Goddess, possibly the same as Tethys. "...she was said to be the fish mother, creator of all sea life. Her name, which means 'sea', survives in the word for a mercantile sea kingdom, thalassocracy. Some find in her a personification of the Mediterranean sea, others an image of all the world's oceans. This was simple, except for the part about there not being any silk in the sea or in Thalassa's story. Still, with the dominance of seacell in this yarn, I decided that an ocean goddess would be just fine for this base yarn (and I personally think the name sounds good with "seasilk").

Umaj Merino/Bamboo Sock: 70% Superwash Merino Wool, 20% Bamboo, 10% Nylon. This is a great, smooth, fluffy shiny sock/fingering yarn, that would also work for lace projects like shawls. 466 yards each.

Umaj is from Russian Siberia, from many different ethnic groups/traditions. "All worshiped a birth goddess of this name." She was many things to many groups, but the main themes were birth, child bearing/placenta, nursing, protector of newborns and of horses, and bringer of luck in hunting.

This was tough, as I needed a goddess where sheep might be, but also near where bamboo may grow. Not quite China (or Japan, Tibet, Nepal, etc), but not really as far as the Middle East and Europe. Russia or Mongolia were the main options. While Umaj isn't about sheep or cattle specifically, she does watch over hunting and horses, and is an earth goddess, where agriculture and animal husbandry are relevant.

Vellamo SeaWool Sock: 70% Superwash Wool, 30% Seacell. A soft, slightly shiny sock yarn with a nice plump twist. 383 yards each.

Vellamo is a "Finnish sea goddess (who) lived underwater with her daughters, the waves, who tended cattle and raised mysterious crops on the ocean's floor."

I thought this one was a great goddess for the merino/seacell blend, as she does farming/animal husbandry and is an ocean goddess and lives amongst the seaweed.
Vajravaraski's Collection: is a mix of all yarns/fibres that are on bases not used regularly in the shop, or are luxury yarns, or are OOAK (one of a kind) in either colourway and yarn/fibre base.

Vajravaraski is a Tibetan goddess, a "'wanderer of the air'...said in Tibet to incarnate herself regularly as a Buddhist abbess who never slept; she had magical powers to protect the nuns under her care. Once, when a Mongol chieftain tried to take over the abbey, he could not find it. In its place, there was a herd of pigs with a very large wild sow at its head. After the danger passed, the spell of metamorphosis was unnecessary, and the nuns were restored to human form." A last minute addition, I felt Vajravaraski was necessary to gather up all the "misfits" that didn't fit into the other categories above. She is the caretaker of special, and unique beings, those not generally part of the rest of society. She appears to be the perfect choice for the "extras" needing a wing to hide under.

Spinning Fibre:

Mamapacha Alpaca Roving: 100% Alpaca Roving. Mamapacha is an Incan Earth Goddess. "Mamapacha was also the deity of agriculture; rituals in her honor had to be performed daily to assure a sufficient food supply. During planting and harvest, women would travel to the fields to talk softly to Mamapacha, sometimes pouring a thank-offering of cornmeal on her surface." For alpaca, a South American agriculture/earth goddess seem appropriate.

Sunna SW Merino Roving: 100% Superwash Merino Roving. Very soft.
Sunna is the Scandinavian Sun Goddess. "'Mistress Sun', the ancient Scandinavians used to sing, 'sits on a bare stone and spins on her golden distaff for the hour before the sun rises.' To the people of the north, as to many others, the bright day-bringing star was feminine, the goddess Sunna - still honored whenever we point to the sun."